WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. You may have heard that marijuana helps with morning sickness. In some states, doctors can prescribe cannabis. If you’re pregnant or want to be, ask your doctor for help on how to give up cannabis
What are the long-term health risks of cannabis use?
- Over time, addiction can take a toll on both mental and physical health.
- These symptoms usually start within 24 to 72 hours of quitting and can last up to 2 weeks or longer in some cases.
- If you are under the direction of medical supervision please speak to your doctor or therapist before following the advice and recommendations in these articles.
Suppose many more individuals substitute most alcohol with THC beverages. The company is now in phase-3 clinical trials for brenipatide and phase-2 trials for another drug, mazdutide. Unlike semaglutide or tirzepatide (designed primarily to treat type-2 diabetes), brenipatide is optimized for blood-brain barrier penetration and direct modulation of the reward circuitry.
It has been found people with this condition often experience impaired cognitive functioning. However, experts agree there are usually more contributing factors, such as environment, access to marijuana, socioeconomic status, and more. For instance, marijuana confiscated by law enforcement today contains an average of 15% THC compared to less than 4% in marijuana confiscated in the 1990s.
Marijuana—also called weed, cannabis, and other names—is a species of plant that is used as a medical and recreational drug. In light of the legalization of marijuana, many people have wondered about the substance, its safety, and whether it’s addictive. In a study of products available in online dispensaries in 3 states with legal non-medical adult cannabis use, the average THC concentration was 22%, with a range of 0% to 45%.9 In addition, some methods of using cannabis (for example, dabbing and vaping concentrates) may deliver very high levels of THC to the user.610 Cannabis concentrates come in many different forms and may be called extract, butane hash oil, wax, shatter, butane honey oil (BHO), budder, taffy, and live resin.71112 People who have cannabis use disorder may also be at a higher risk of other negative consequences, such as problems with attention, memory, and learning. Medications such as antidepressants may be prescribed to treat co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you will develop an addiction to marijuana if you experience one or more of these risk factors. Some researchers believe that because today’s marijuana is much more potent, it makes it more likely that some people will develop physiological dependence. Today’s research shows that tolerance does develop to THC and that withdrawal symptoms do occur in some people. Most early research into marijuana addiction suggested that marijuana use rarely produced tolerance and withdrawal.
Is Marijuana Really Addictive? What the Science Actually Says
But addiction doesn’t mean the end of the road—it’s a signal to seek help, not a reason to feel shame. CBT helps people understand the thought patterns behind their use and replace them with healthier coping strategies. Cannabis use disorder means marijuana use causes problems in your life—but you can’t seem to stop. In severe cases, marijuana addiction can lead to job loss, broken relationships, or legal trouble.
How does cannabis use impact older adults?
These can range from mild to severe depending on the person. Dependence symptoms can be cognitive, behavioral, and physical. Although the numbers are not entirely known, it is estimated that 6.3 percent of adults have experienced marijuana use disorder, and that percentage is increasing.
- But for others, especially those with mental health issues or a family history of addiction, the risk is much higher.
- While the focus has been on Gen Z and millennials, more recently, some baby boomers are also switching to cannabis from alcohol, because of recent studies challenging decades of alcohol benefits and raising alarm over drinking.
- Participants completed three sessions in which they smoked cannabis with either 7.2% THC, 3.1% THC, or a placebo (0.03% THC).
- Daily or weekly marijuana use has been found to increase the chances that a person becomes dependent on the drug in the future.
- However, along with the cannabis plant flower, there are many products made from the cannabis plant and new ones are constantly being developed and sold.
- The NIDA-funded Monitoring the Future survey measures drug and alcohol use and related attitudes among adolescent students nationwide.
Reported drug use among adolescents continued to hold below pre-pandemic levels in 2023
Research shows that behavioral interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, and contingency management can be effective in treating cannabis use disorder.68 Read more about behavioral treatments for substance use disorders on the National Institute of Mental Health website. The use of cannabis during pregnancy may have harmful effects on a baby’s health after birth. Secondhand smoke from cannabis products has many of the same toxins, irritants, and carcinogens as secondhand tobacco smoke.54 In some environments, secondhand cannabis smoke can produce positive cannabis drug test results.55 One study in a well-ventilated coffee shop found low levels of THC in the blood of non-smoking bystanders.56
But if they’re exposed to marijuana daily, they may have a hard time learning or paying attention when they get older. But animal studies show it may change how their brain grows. Experts aren’t sure how cannabis affects your baby. If this happens to you, talk to your doctor about how to treat these symptoms. But in the long run, marijuana can do a lot of harm to your sleep. You may use cannabis to help you doze off at night.
What is the relationship between cannabis use and mental health?
Additionally, over 80 percent of people who use medicinal marijuana also use it recreationally. Medicinal marijuana use comes with risks too. The negative effects of marijuana are not limited to recreational marijuana.
More Cannabis, Less Alcohol—In Studies and in Real Life
While it is possible to try and use the substance without becoming addicted, that is not the case for everyone. People can become addicted to marijuana. Use profiles to select understanding alcohol use disorder national institute personalised advertising.
Some evidence has linked cannabis use to earlier onset of psychosis in people with genetic risk factors for psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, as well as worse symptoms in people who already have these conditions. Synthetic cannabinoids, which are lab-made substances that are chemically similar to compounds found in the cannabis plant, can produce serious negative health effects.10 These products, which are also known as Spice or K2, may have a much higher concentration of THC and can be much more powerful. Higher potency means stronger effects, faster tolerance, and a higher risk of addiction and psychological side effects—including psychosis, paranoia, and cannabis-induced anxiety.
Eating large amounts of products containing delta-8-THC has led to medical emergencies, including breathing problems5,6. Early exposure primes the brain for long-term cannabis use disorder and makes it harder to quit later. With frequent use, the brain adjusts by producing fewer natural cannabinoids, which leads to tolerance, dependence, and eventually addiction. It refers to a situation where an individual cannot stop using marijuana—even when it negatively impacts their life, health, work, or relationships.
Can people have cannabis withdrawal symptoms?
These effects are more common when a person takes a large amount, the cannabis product is strong (has a high level of THC), or the person has little experience with using cannabis.19,20,21 CBD is not intoxicating like THC.7 However, it may have side effects including drowsiness, decreased appetite, vomiting and diarrhea.8 Products have been found to contain different amounts of CBD than their labels show, and some products marketed as CBD have been found to contain THC.9 Read more about CBD on the U.S. There is limited research on the health effects delta-8-THC and other intoxicating cannabinoids and related compounds, including delta-10-THC, THC-O-acetate, THCV, THCP, HHC, HHC-O-acetate, HHCP, and CBN.
You could also try to set limits such as only using marijuana on certain days of the week, like the weekends. Teenagers tend to use drugs when faced with uncertain changes or stressors. If you have children, make sure they know marijuana can be harmful. Not using drugs when you’re young might lower your chances. The only sure way to stop CUD from happening is to never use marijuana.
Shift in recreational intoxicant use changes—but doesn’t eliminate—risks.
THC and especially CBD interfere with liver enzymes, which can raise or lower many medication levels, including anticoagulants (warfarin, increasing bleeding risk), antiepileptics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and opioids. One study showed that cannabis users had about a six-fold increase in heart attack risk, four-fold increase in ischemic stroke risk, and double the heart-failure risk versus non-users. Would the change result in improved well-being, health, cardiovascular and vascular physiology, cognitive performance, and reduced long-term neurologic risks? GLPs are so promising for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) that pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is investing in a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist drug. Participants receiving cannabis containing 3.1% THC consumed about 19% less alcohol compared to placebo. After smoking, subjects were exposed to neutral cues and personalized alcohol cues before engaging in an alcohol self-administration task.
As many as 30 percent of people who use marijuana may experience marijuana use disorder. While some people can try and use marijuana without becoming addicted, it can also be addictive for some people. Like any drug used medicinally, the potential risks of use are weighed against the potential benefits when deciding what should and should not be tried. There are risks of use, even medicinally, and addiction is one of them. Cannabis—which can also be called marijuana —is the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the United States. You can consult your healthcare professional to see if this is a viable treatment option.
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